Caltrans Rolls Out 15 New $12.7 Million Metering Lights on Route 85 to Offset “Platoons” of Traffic

At a cost of $12.7 million, Caltrans is activating 15 new on-ramp metering lights along six miles from Cupertino to Mountain View this month in an effort to ease congestion in this part of Silicon Valley, though some are worried about the waiting cars jamming up residential side streets.

And the the lights will be kept on almost through lunchtime, as opposed to most metering lights that turn off between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Gary Richards, aka "Mr. Roadshow," of the Mercury News, said this is the first time the state of California will run those lights for almost the entire morning drive on any freeway in the nine Bay Area counties.

Caltrans District 4 Director Bijan Sartipi said on his website that congestion along State Route 85 from Interstate Highway 280 to U.S. Highway 101 is caused by "platoons of vehicles" entering at unmetered on-ramps and merging with the mainline traffic. And so, the metering lights, he said, will "minimize gridlock of the freeway system, decrease travel time and improve mobility through the corridor during the peak hours."

Metering lights have employed by Caltrans in the past to keep freeway traffic moving by slowing the flow onto the highway, leading to less merging chaos but leading to long waits at on-ramps. That's what some residential neighbors are the most worried about.

Beginning on Wednesday: Metering lights will be set in the southbound direction will be activated for the afternoon peak commute hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Beginning on Jan. 28: Metering lights will be set in the northbound direction will be activated for the morning peak commute hours from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Freeway-to-freeway meters: 280 to north 85 morning and north 280 to south 85 in afternoon.

This stretch has traditionally been a trafic nightmare. But the rebounding economy and all the tech workers headed to Silicon Valley to jobs at Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Apple has made the commute even worse.

The cost of the project - a joint venture between Caltrans, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority - totaled nearly $13 million.

The capital cost of the project is $9.5 million: $1.5 million came from State’s Corridor Mobility Improvement Account Funds and $8 million came from State Highway Operation and Protection Program Funds.

The ramp metering information line phone number is 510-286-4531.

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